Card games often employ the use of circular chips. Different types of chips are often associated with different amounts of value. Different valued chips are often visually distinguishable based on color and/or indicia printed on or otherwise formed on the faces of the chip. As used herein, chips are defined as stackable game pieces with a generally cylindrical shape in which the diameter of the chip is many times greater than the thickness of the chip. Also as defined herein, each chip includes a longitudinal axis which is parallel to the thickness of the chip and perpendicular to the diameter of the chip. A stack of chips corresponds to two or more chips placed adjacent to each other in series with their longitudinal axes generally aligned.
Also, although the overall shape of the chip may be a relatively thin cylindrical shape, it is to be understood that the surfaces of chips may or may not be smooth. For example, chips may include raised or indented markings, graphics and other indicia thereon. Also, the edges of the chips may include textured, grooved, or other types of non-smooth surfaces.
One popular type of card game that employs the use of chips is poker. Poker may be played with a plurality of different variations of poker rules. Some forms of poker have become sufficiently popular that poker tournaments are held involving many players (e.g., 20 or more for a small tournament) playing many rounds of poker games to determine a champion poker player. Due to the large number of people that may be involved, the amount of time it takes to set up a poker tournament can extend over one or more hours.
Much of the preparation time for such tournaments involves counting out sets of chips and arranging the chips to facilitate distribution among the players. As the players arrive before the tournament starts, additional sets are counted and stored while other preparations are ongoing. For example, the tournament director or host may assume that he/she will have twenty players participating in the tournament and will begin to count out the chips for that number of players. Starting with a particular type or value of the chips (e.g., white chips) the host will count equal stacks of the pre-determined quantity of the chips and place those stacks on a table or counter. The host will then move to the next type or value (e.g., color) of chips, counting out those chips into equal stacks and placing one stack next to each of the previously counted stacks. This process of counting and stacking chips will be repeated until all types or values (e.g., colors) have been counted, stacked, arranged in sets of different types or values (e.g., different colored stacks) of chips.
Once the chips have been counted, the next step may include placing the stacks of chips into separate plastic bags for distribution to the players. The chips typically do not remain in perfect stacks in the bags and must be re-stacked by each player as they are placed on the poker table at the start of the tournament.
The time necessary to count, stack, bag, and re-stack different types or values of chips can consume large amounts of time. As a result, there exists a need for a method of setting up one or more poker games which is more efficient.